


Her Breaking Point

by Kazuo93



Series: The Adventures of Sapphire Umbrus (Stormblood) [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Attempted Resurrection, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28123191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazuo93/pseuds/Kazuo93
Summary: Doma has been freed from Garlean influence, but for one Au Ra, the cost was too high.
Series: The Adventures of Sapphire Umbrus (Stormblood) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2068878





	Her Breaking Point

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place at a much later time in the FFXIV timeline, specifically during the events of Stormblood. It features contributed OC's who have yet to make an appearance in previous chapters. They are major companions in Sapphire's journey whose introductions will be added at a later time. Sapphire is also currently a MCH in this chapter, as opposed to her starting class of ROG.

"Sapphire?"

The door creaks open, letting light seep into the darkened cabin that a blue-haired Raen turned into her workshop. Standing in the doorway is a tall Hyur in an armored coat. As the light enters, his shadow crosses the room with it, stopping just a bit short of the shop's sole occupant. Sitting behind the large metal table was a disheveled and dazed Sapphire Umbrus, curled up in her chair, her hands robotically turning a piece on the autoturret, each twist letting out an eerie squeak. Her eyes did not meet the Hyur's, and were instead focused entirely on the task before her. Her gaze was as cold and as void of life as the autoturret's metal chassis.

"Sapphire," he says again, inching closer. "Moil's got lunch ready for us. Wanna come join us?"

She does not respond. Her hands continue to tinker with the autoturret's inner workings, her hands moving back and forth between the gears and her set of tools that lay strewn about on her table, yet able to find every single tool she needed without so much as a single gaze in its direction. Even in this almost zombified state, she knew where every piece and every tool was in her own workshop. It was all she had left, the last thing she was familiar with.

He slowly raises his hand, attempting to reach out but retracts, unsure if he can close the gap. "I'll...have Moil set aside a plate for you..." he says, turning around. He glances one last time at his distraught companion. "I'm sorry...for everything..."

The door shuts, once again leaving Sapphire alone in her shroud of darkness. Her hands continue turning the screwdriver in her fingers, her grip tightening with each turn until finally, the metal plating gives way and snaps in her hands. She looks at the broken mechanism before her, and with pent-up frustration, throws it across the room, the crashing of the autoturret and its pieces echoing throughout her workshop. Her hands shake and she slams her fist into the metal table with a loud, "BANG!", her teeth gritting as tears slowly began to fall from her cheeks. She frustratingly rubs the tears from her face, rising from her seat. She yanks her coat off the chair, knocking it over with the force of her pull, storming towards the door. She grabs her aetherotransformer that hangs next to the door and grabs a spare autoturret. With a click and whir, the autoturret comes to life and floats alongside her. She briefly checks to make sure the attached camera is functioning before opening the door.

Her eyes are met with the glare of the Yanxian sun, Sapphire shielding her eyes even with the dissipation from the clouds. She shakes off the glare, instead pulling up her hood and letting her feet carry her and her autoturret away from the now still settlement of Namai. As she climbs the hill in the distance, where the gate stands, she looks over the Glittering Basin, the vast graveyard of old Doman architecture and dilapidated Magitek machinery alike. Her eyes form into a small scowl as she thinks back to the Garleans she drove from her homeland, and the cost ultimately paid for this "freedom".

She strides through the destroyed land, reminded of the home and family she left behind, her countrymen who suffered under Garlean influence, the betrayal and subsequent cruelty of one of their own who sat as the imperial Viceroy, the means people had to resort to in desperation, including her own choice to flee in search of "strength". Is that what she really gained in the end? Or was it temporary freedom and abandoning responsibility? With each step, her self-doubt consumes more of her. She is only awoken by the sputter and fizzle of the autoturret as it slowly drains in battery. It flutters in front of her before falling lifeless into her hands.

"Dammit...forgot to charge it..." she mutters under her breath, sighing as she surveys her immediate surroundings. All around her lay destroyed magitek machinery, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe there might be a temporary source of power she could use. She did have her aetherotransformer on her side, but she was neither in the mood nor supply of enemies to generate the necessary battery power. "Don't worry, little guy. I'll find you some food."

She checks some nearby machinery but finds most of them with destroyed power sources. Makes sense, considering they'd either be fried from being overloaded, or destroyed in a quick attempt to disable them. By Oschon's grace, however, she eventually finds one with just a little bit of power left. She brings out her tools and manages to route it to her aetherotransformer, and then connects the pack to her autoturret. After a few seconds, and a bit of elbow grease, the autoturret clicks and whirs back to life, floating in front of Sapphire as if it had a skip in its float, expressing some level of gratitude to its maker.

Sapphire smiles a bit before sighing. "If only I could bring back the dead as easily as I could an autoturret. Sadly, people do not function on batteries like machines do..." she packs up her tools and...stops. The cogs and gears in her head, much like the ones found in the autoturret that she just stirred back to life, slowly began to turn and turn. Although vague, an image formed in her head. A plan. And as they aligned before her, a crooked smile began to form on her face. As she rose to her feet, the smile crept across her face into a toothy grin, and finally erupted into a deranged laughing fit.

After regaining her composure, she leaned against the cold metal wall of the magitek mech and let out a deep sigh. "Of course...it was right in front of me..." she said, turning to the autoturret. "Well, we've got a lot of work to do."

After scavenging the magitek graveyard for the rest of her "patrol", Sapphire returns to her workshop, her thoughts filled with schematics and theories. She grabs her satchel and spills it onto her workbench, sifting through the scattered contents until she finds a small blue stone. She clutches it in her hands and focuses on the teachings enclosed within its crystallized aether.

"As I thought...healing magic is only meant to assisting the aether in the body to hasten its recovery, but it is limited by the amount of aether in both its caster and the recipient. It is not meant to create movement where there is none. But that..." she says, putting the stone down, "is where machinistry comes into play. If I can combine the theories of the Nymaean scholars with the applications of machinistry, I might just find the missing piece of the puzzle." As she finishes this thought, she hears a knock on her door.

"Sapphire? It's Thraum," calls the voice. "I heard you come back. Everything okay?"

Sapphire hurriedly shovels everything back into her satchel and dumps it behind her workbench, hidden from view. "Y-yeah...everything's fine!"

"You sure? I heard your door slam and was wondering where you..."

"I-I was just on patrol! Just on patrol..." she said, hoping he wouldn't come in. "I just needed to clear my head, and...let's just say I was kind of in a hurry back because I got some new ideas..."

"Wait, really?" he replied with a tinge of excitement. "T-that's great! Um, I'm just...you sound like you're back on your feet, I guess?"

"I guess I am? I'm not sure yet. All I know is my mind's gears are running so I need to get to work before I forget."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Um, I'll just have Moil leave a plate ready for you if you get hungry, then."

"Y-yeah, sure! Uh, sounds great!" she replied. As she heard his footsteps fading away from the door, she immediately grabs a pen and a parchment from her pack and starts scribbling away. She draws on the knowledge from both her Scholar and Machinist disciplines, finding where one ends and the other begins, and then tries to make ends meet between the two. Aether circulation, aetherotransformer schematics, aetherpacts, even the aether storage method for Thraum's gunblade; all the information circulates in Sapphire's head as she furiously scribbles plans onto the paper.

The following morning, she needs more parts that she recalls seeing in the basin but didn't have enough room in her pack to carry. She empties her satchel, hops out of workshop, locks the door behind her, and starts apace towards the Basin. As she approaches the edge of the village, she runs into Moil and Thraum.

"Sapphire!" Thraum says, giving a small wave. "Good to see you out of your workshop. Moil and I were just about to go on patrol. Wanna join us?"

Sapphire shrinks a bit, clutching her satchel. "Er, no, it's alright, you guys go ahead. I was planning on taking another stroll through the Glittering Basin and--"

"What a coincidence, we were just headed there ourselves!" Moil said, giving a warm smile. "We'll join you. It's been a while since we were all together like this."

Sapphire's brows furrow but she knew Moil's insistence was coming from a good place, even if it was the last thing she needed right now. Without much choice left, she begrudgingly walks alongside her companions towards the Glittering Basin. Much to her chagrin, they rarely let her out of their sight, given that they rarely saw her ever since Doma was reclaimed. It was their way of keeping tabs on her to make sure she was still alive. But she feared she'd get nothing done with their eyes on her the entire patrol. Every time she'd try to look into a magitek armor, she'd have to disguise it as a passive interest in the old worn out machinery without expressing a specific purpose. Thankfully, they seemed to catch on and started easing their gaze on her. Eventually they reached the end of the Glittering Basin.

"This was definitely nice. It was good to spend some time with you again, Sapphire," Thraum says, scratching his head.

"Yes...yes it was," she said, eyes pointed at the ground. She knew they meant well and they cared for her, and while the sentiments on the walk were somewhat shared, her mind was too clouded by the delay it caused to her plans. "I...should head back. I'm feeling a bit tired from all that walking. You two still more to patrol ahead, right?"

"Yes, but we can accompany you back, if you'd like--" Thraum offered, cut off by Sapphire.

"No no, it's fine. I can make my way back safely. Besides, you two need to finish your patrols."

"Oh...of course...you're right..." Thraum says, lowering his head in dismay. "Well, take care on your way back."

"I will," she responds, starting a pace back to Namai. She stops in her tracks and gives one last look to her friends. "Thank you. I mean it." With no more words, she runs back towards the village, leaving Moil and Thraum stunned in their spot.

Over the next few days, Sapphire slowly distances herself more from her companions, trying to slip out towards the Basin without drawing their attention, avoiding their patrol routes in order to grab what she needed from the destroyed machinery. She eventually decided to move some of her machinations to a new location closer to the Glittering Basin, if only to save transportation time and to not arouse suspicion to her own workshop back in the village. Day and night, she'd build, scavenge, sneak, and repeat. She'd occasionally run into Moil and Thraum, but she dodged their advances.

Eventually, she learns of a storm approaching from the village skywatcher. Time was running out, but she knew with her current pace, she'd at least be able to finish building. That said, the application was another matter entirely. As time burned, she knew she would only have one chance at her experiment, and were she to fail, not only would she need to await another storm of this magnitude, she'd also have to abandon her comrades and former life as an adventurer. The risks she was taking were indeed high, and she knew what she was attempting would not be accepted until it bore fruit. She even briefly wondered what her machinist mentor, Stephanivien, would say, but knew ultimately he would not approve.

As the night of the storm drew near, she finally finished her construction. She had all the preparations set, and all she needed was one more key piece. As with the rest of her experiment, reclaiming said piece would be difficult, and would require her to revisit an old discipline that she never quite forgot. As she tries to recall her training on a certain dock, she hears another knock at her shop's door.

"Sapphire? It's Moil."

She sighs and tucks the obsidian-stained stone into her pocket before heading toward the door. She opens it a small crack, addressing the tall Elezen before her. "Yes, Moil?"

"I just wanted to check on you to make sure everything's ok. I know you've been out of your workshop more often lately but Thraum and I still rarely see you."

"I'm just busy, ok? Naught to worry about."

"I am worried, Sapphire. I rarely even see you eat. Come inside and join us for some supper. I made something you might like," he offers.

"No thanks, not hungry. I'll be fine," she answers coldly.

"Sapphire--"

"I said. I'm. Fine."

Moil's brows furrow in mild irritation, but he sighs. "Just...we're worried, okay? Thraum and I are just concerned about you after everything and--"

"STOP!" she yells, panting. "I never asked you to worry about me. I never asked for...for your pity..." she says, gritting her teeth. "Just...leave me be..." she mutters. Moil tries to speak but decides not to. He gives a small nod and then heads back into the house. Sapphire slams the door in frustration, leaning against the door and trying to hold back her tears. Now was not the time to cry, nor the time for idle frustration. She had one thing to do tonight, and she could only do it tonight.

The lights of Namai dim, signaling the end of another day as its residents retreat to the world of slumber. This was the hour Sapphire was waiting for. She grabbed her cloak, puts up her hood, and quietly leaves through the backdoor of her shed. As she exits, she grabs the shovel that was laying next to the rear exit. She sneaks around the night watch of Namai and heads towards the nearby burial grounds, shovel in tow. She strides past every marked grave until she reaches a set of three, reaching over and brushing off the dust to reveal the name painted on the gravestone: "KUROI". She kneels before them and takes a moment to briefly pay her respects before them.

" _Hahaue...Chichiue..._ Sora..." she says, tears welling in her eyes. "I am sorry for everything...but should things go as planned, we can all be reunited..." She rises from her knee and begins digging one of the graves. After unearthing the body, she removes it from its dwelling and returns the soil, patting it down to make it look untouched. As she continues her patch job, she hears voices in the distance. In a panic, she quickly grabs the body and shovel and hides within the shadows, using ninjutsu to further conceal her presence. After seeing the lanterns pass by, she grabs the wrapped body and shovel, and disappears into the night.

The next day, Sapphire spent the entire day in her workshop, running the plans through her head again and again until late afternoon. The wind began to howl and sing, rain her new workshop, located in the now abandoned Castrum Fluminis.

When she arrives, the rain is already pouring and the skies rumble with the ongoing storm. She tosses off her raincoat and immediately gets to work. She heads over to the machinery she's restored and built, winding all the dials and wires. She flips switches and the machines whir to life, as she continues restating and muttering equations for the next phase of her experiment. As the capacitors charge up and the energy begins to build, she turns to the draped body she had previously whisked away from the burial grounds, approaching it. She pulls the covers off and reveals the cold, lifeless body of her brother, Sora Kuroi.

"Soon, brother...soon, we shall be together again..." she says, opening the tome in her hands. She begins an incantation, channeling into the ley lines she drew into the floor the night before. The storm outside rages, while the storm inside the lab grows. The magic circle around the workbench glows as Sapphire focuses her energy through the book.

_I call upon the soul of he who paid the toll  
From the shores of the lost  
Through my aether and the currents of nature  
I invoke thee to reawaken from thine slumber  
_

_Thou who has paid a price not yours  
Thou who shall now be reborn  
Through the veil, through the gate, to this realm where I await  
I call forth your spirit to renew your fate!_

As she finished the spell, the doors of the lab burst open, letting in wind and rain through the door. Standing in doorway were two familiar figures, Moil and Thraum, both of them soaked and out of breath.

"Moil? Thraum?" Sapphire exclaims in disbelief.

Without another word, Thraum takes a step forward, drawing his blade and loading it with a cartridge. Sapphire realizes what he's trying to do and reaches for her own gun. She fires at him, Thraum easily deflecting it. She curses under her breath and continues firing volley after volley of rounds at him. The flurry of shots and deflections go back and forth, Thraum slowly but surely closing the gap between him and Sapphire. No words are exchanged, only wills and resolves.

With one final pull of the trigger, Thraum leaps forward, slicing through Sapphire's gun and knocking her down to the ground. He grabs her by the collar and throws her behind him, Moil running forward to restrain her. Thraum leaps over the workbench and primes another cartridge, raising his blade to the heavens.

"NO! STOP! PLEASE!" Sapphire cries out, trying to break free of Moil's restraint but failing to do so. With great force, Thraum brings his blade down on the machines in front of him. The loud crash echoes within the lab, audible even amidst the roar of the storm outside. The smoke clears and the dust settles, and the machinery's hums and whirs fade into lifelessness.

He turns to face Sapphire, dropping his gunblade to the side, silently approaching her.

Sapphire stares in complete shock on the floor, now free from Moil's grasp but with no strength in her legs to stand up.

"Why...." she mutters. "WHY?! WHY?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO COME HERE?! I NEVER ASKED YOU TO! NOW YOU'VE GONE AND RUINED EVERYTHING!" she screams, slamming her fist into the ground.

Thraum continues walking towards Sapphire, remaining silent the whole way. He stops in front of her, looking at his friend in pain. He kneels down and embraces her, whispering only two words into her ear.

"I'm sorry."

"I DON'T WANT YOUR APOLOGY! I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY! LET ME GO!" She is met with silence. "I JUST WANTED TO BRING HIM BACK! HE SHOULD BE HERE, NOT ME!" she continues yelling, continuing to struggle but still, no response. Slowly, the emotions that had been buried deep within her, locked inside her heart since the day Doma was reclaimed, began to well up inside her. "I...I....."

"I'm sorry," Thraum repeats.

Sapphire's writhing slows until her hands drop to the floor in defeat. Tears begin welling up in her eyes as she continues resisting until finally, she could deny the truth no longer.

"Sora...." she croaks silently, shaking in Thraum's arms. "SOOORRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"


End file.
